User device parameter allocation based on internet protocol version capabilities

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are provided for allocating user device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a user device is capable of communicating. An indication is received that the user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network. It is determined that the user device is capable of communicating in the wireless communications network using IPv6 only. One or more configurable user device parameters, such as a DNS server, are assigned to the user device based, at least, on the user device being capable of communicating using IPv6 only and not IPv4 only or IPv6 and IPv4. This eliminates a need for a new APN to be configured on the user device.

SUMMARY

A high-level overview of various aspects of the invention is providedhere for that reason, to provide an overview of the disclosure and tointroduce a selection of concepts that are further described below inthe detailed description section below. This summary is not intended toidentify key features or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation todetermine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In brief, and at a high level, this disclosure describes, among otherthings, systems and methods for allocating configurable user deviceparameters to user devices during or after authentication. For example,a particular DNS server in a network is typically assigned to a userafter a user device is authenticated and authorized. In aspects herein,DNS servers and other configurable user device parameters are assignedto user devices based on a communications type of the user devices, suchas, for example, the user device being capable of communicating usingIPv4 only, IPv6 only, or both IPv4 and IPv6 (e.g., a dual-stack device).As described herein, a different DNS server, or a different instance ofa DNS server than would otherwise be assigned to an IPv4-only userdevice or a dual-stack device, is assigned to a user device that iscapable of communications using IPv6 only. This eliminates the need fora new APN to be configured on IPv6-only user devices, and alsoeliminates the unnecessary DNS64 synthesizing for network addresstranslation that would otherwise be performed on IPv4 or IPv4v6 (e.g.,dual stack devices) that could potentially impair IPv4 traffic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described indetail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, andwherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary mobile device according to an embodiment ofthe technology;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative operating system for use in practicingaspects of the technology;

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an allocation of user device parametersbased on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a user deviceis capable of communicating, in accordance with aspects herein;

FIG. 4 depicts exemplary logic for allocating user device parametersbased on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a user deviceis capable of communicating, in accordance with aspects herein; and

FIGS. 5-6 depict flow charts of exemplary methods of allocating userdevice parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions withwhich a user device is capable of communicating, in accordance withaspects herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject matter of select embodiments of the present invention isdescribed with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. Butthe description itself is not intended to define what we regard as ourinvention, which is what the claims do. The claimed subject matter mightbe embodied in other ways to include different steps or combinations ofsteps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunctionwith other present or future technologies. Terms should not beinterpreted as implying any particular order among or between varioussteps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individualsteps is explicitly described.

Throughout this disclosure, several acronyms and shorthand notations areused to aid the understanding of certain concepts pertaining to theassociated system and services. These acronyms and shorthand notationsare intended to help provide an easy methodology of communicating theideas expressed herein and are not meant to limit the scope of thepresent invention. The following is a list of these acronyms:

AMBR Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate

APN Access Point Name

BS Base Station

CDMA Code Division Multiple Access

DNS Domain Name System

eNodeB Evolved Node B

GPRS General Packet Radio Service

GSM Global System for Mobile Communications

IP Internet Protocol

IPv4 Internet Protocol Version 4

IPv6 Internet Protocol Version 6

LTE Long-Term Evolution

PDN Packet Data Network

PGW PDN Gateway

QoS Quality of Service

WCDMA Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

Further, various technical terms are used throughout this description.An illustrative resource that fleshes out various aspects of these termscan be found in Newton's Telecom Dictionary, 27th Edition (2012).

Embodiments of our technology may be embodied as, among other things, amethod, system, or computer-program product. Accordingly, theembodiments may take the form of a hardware embodiment, or an embodimentcombining software and hardware. In one embodiment, the presentinvention takes the form of a computer-program product that includescomputer-useable instructions embodied on one or more computer-readablemedia.

Computer-readable media include both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media, and contemplate media readable by adatabase, a switch, and various other network devices. Network switches,routers, and related components are conventional in nature, as are meansof communicating with the same. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media comprise computer-storage media andcommunications media.

Computer-storage media, or machine-readable media, include mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storing information.Examples of stored information include computer-useable instructions,data structures, program modules, and other data representations.Computer-storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile discs (DVD), holographic media or other optical disc storage,magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, and othermagnetic storage devices. These memory components can store datamomentarily, temporarily, or permanently.

Communications media typically store computer-useableinstructions—including data structures and program modules—in amodulated data signal. The term “modulated data signal” refers to apropagated signal that has one or more of its characteristics set orchanged to encode information in the signal. Communications mediainclude any information-delivery media. By way of example but notlimitation, communications media include wired media, such as a wirednetwork or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic,infrared, radio, microwave, spread-spectrum, and other wireless mediatechnologies. Combinations of the above are included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

Aspects of the present invention are directed towards allocatingconfigurable user device parameters based, at least, on thecommunications capabilities of a user device that is requestingauthorization on the wireless communications device. For instance, auser device that is IPv6 capable only may be assigned differentparameters than a device that is either IPv4-capable only or dual stack,capable of communicating via both IPv4 and IPv6. In one aspect, it isadvantageous to assign a different DNS server or a different instance ofan existing DNS server to user devices that are IPv6 capable only. Whenthe same IPv6 address is assigned, by the same DNS server, to both IPv6only user devices and dual-stack devices, for example, an overlap ofassigned IPv6 addresses may occur, causing one or more signals to break,resulting in decreased user experience.

As such, in aspects herein, a different DNS server, or at least adifferent instance of a DNS server, is assigned by a network gateway,such as a PDN gateway, to an IPv6-only user after authentication. Inaddition to the advantages mentioned above, a new APN would not need tobe configured on IPv6-only user devices. Configuring new APNs is costlyand time consuming.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, a computerized method carried out by atleast one server having one or more processors for allocating userdevice parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions withwhich a user device is capable of communicating is provided. The methodcomprises receiving an indication that the user device is requesting tobe authenticated in a wireless communications network, determining thatthe user device is capable of communicating in the wirelesscommunications network using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) only,and assigning one or more configurable user device parameters to theuser device based on the user device being capable of communicatingusing IPv6 only and not Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) only or IPv6and IPv4, thereby eliminating a need for a new access point name (APN)to be configured on the user device.

In a second aspect, one or more computer-storage media are providedhaving computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, whenexecuted, perform a method for allocating user device parameters basedon one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a user device iscapable of communicating. The method comprises receiving an indicationthat the user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wirelesscommunications network, determining that the user device is capable ofcommunicating in the wireless communications network using IPv6 only,and assigning a DNS server to the user device that is a different serveror is a different instance of other DNS servers assigned to other userdevices that are capable of communicating using IPv4 only or that arecapable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4. This eliminates aneed for a new APN to be configured on the user device. Further, themethod comprises receiving a request from the user device to accesscontent from a website, accessing the assigned DNS server to retrieve anIPv6 address for the user device, and communicating the content from thewebsite to the user device.

In a third aspect, a system is provided for allocating user deviceparameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which auser device is capable of communicating. The system includes a processorand one or more computer-readable media storing computer-useableinstructions that, when used by the processor, cause the processor toreceive an indication that the user device is requesting to beauthenticated in a wireless communications network, determine that theuser device is capable of communicating in the wireless communicationsnetwork using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) only, and assign a DNSserver to the user device that is different than other DNS serversassigned to other user devices that are capable of communicating usingIPv4 only or that are capable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4.This eliminates a need for a new APN to be configured on the userdevice.

Referring to the drawings in general, and initially to FIG. 1 inparticular, a block diagram of an illustrative mobile device accordingto one embodiment is provided and referenced generally by the numeral100. Although some components are shown in the singular, they may beplural. For example, the user device 100 might include multipleprocessors or multiple radios, etc. As illustratively shown, the userdevice 100 includes a bus 110 that directly or indirectly couplesvarious components together, including memory 112, a processor 114, apresentation component 116, a radio 117 (if applicable), input/outputports 118, input/output components 120, and a power supply 122.

Memory 112 might take the form of memory components previouslydescribed. Thus, further elaboration will not be provided here, only tosay that the memory component 112 can include any type of medium that iscapable of storing information (e.g., a database). A database can be anycollection of records. In one embodiment, memory 112 includes a set ofembodied computer-executable instructions 112A that, when executed,facilitate various aspects disclosed herein. These embodied instructionswill variously be referred to as “instructions” or an “application” forshort.

The processor 114 might actually be multiple processors that receiveinstructions and process them accordingly. The presentation component116 includes the likes of a display, a speaker, as well as othercomponents that can present information (such as a lamp (LED), or evenlighted keyboards).

Numeral 117 represents a radio(s) or antenna that facilitatescommunication with a wireless telecommunications network including, forexample, a base station or eNodeB associated with the wirelesstelecommunications network. Illustrative wireless-telecommunicationstechnologies include CDMA, GPRS, TDMA, GSM, and the like. Theradio/antenna 117 might additionally or alternatively facilitate othertypes of wireless communications including Wi-Fi, WiMAX, LTE, or otherVoIP communications. As can be appreciated, in various embodiments, theradio/antenna 117 can be configured to support multiple technologies,and/or multiple radios/antennas can be utilized to support multipletechnologies.

The input/output port 118 might take on a variety of forms. Illustrativeinput/output ports include a USB jack, stereo jack, infrared port,proprietary communications ports, and the like. The input/outputcomponents 120 include items such as keyboards, microphones, speakers,touch screens, and any other item usable to directly or indirectly inputdata into the user device 100. The power supply 122 includes items suchas batteries, fuel cells, or any other component that can act as a powersource to power the user device 100.

Turning to FIG. 2, an illustrative operating system is depicted for usein practicing an embodiment of the technology, and is generally referredto herein as environment 200. Environment 200 is but one example of asuitable environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as tothe scope of use or functionality of embodiments herein. Neither shouldthe environment be interpreted as having any dependency or requirementrelating to any one or combination of components illustrated.

In the environment 200, two user devices 202 and 204 are illustrated andare able to communicate with other user devices (e.g., a mobiledevice(s), a server(s), a personal computer(s), etc.) and/or with a basestation, such as a base station of cell tower 210, by way of a wirelesscommunications network. The wireless communications network mightinclude an array of devices or components, some of which are not shownso as not to obscure more relevant aspects of the invention. Componentsof environment 200 that may be part of the network may include thegateway 212, the IPv4 DNS server 216, the IPv6 DNS server 1 (item 218),the IPv6 DNS server 2 (item 220), and the translating component 222.Components such as terminals, links, and nodes (as well as othercomponents) can provide connectivity in some embodiments. The networkcan include multiple networks, as well as being a network of networks.The network can be part of a telecommunications network that connectssubscribers or users to their immediate service provider. Inembodiments, the network can be associated with a telecommunicationsprovider that provides services to mobile devices, such as the userdevices 202 and 204. For example, the network may provide voice and/ordata services to mobile devices or corresponding users that areregistered to utilize the services provided by a telecommunicationsprovider. The network can be any communications network providing voiceand/or data service(s), such as, for example, a 1× circuit voice, a 3Gnetwork (e.g., CDMA, CDMA2000, WCDMA, GSM, UMTS), or a 4G network(WiMAX, LTE, HSDPA).

While two user devices 202 and 204 are illustrated in environment 200,it should be understood that any number of user devices may communicatewith cell tower 210 by way of a wireless communications network. Forinstance, in some geographical areas, some cell towers may serve largequantities of user devices, while in other areas, cell towers may servesmaller quantities of user devices. As such, the quantity of userdevices illustrated in environment 200 is shown just for exemplarypurposes, and is not meant to limit embodiments presented herein in anyway.

A user device, as used herein, is a device that has the capability ofusing a wireless communications network. A user device may take on avariety of forms, such as a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, atablet, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a server, orany other device that is capable of communicating with other devicesusing a wireless telecommunications network. In one embodiment, a userdevice is the user device described in relation to FIG. 1 herein.

As mentioned, to access the wireless communications network, the userdevices 202 and 204 may be in communication with a base station(included within cell tower 210) via wireless telecommunications linkssuch as, for example, wireless-telecommunications links 206 and 208,respectively, which allow for data to be wirelessly communicated betweenthe user devices 202 and 204, and the cell tower 210. The user devices202 and 204 may communicate with the base station via thewireless-telecommunications links 206 and 208, respectively, tofacilitate attachment of the user devices 202 and 204 to the basestation. Once attached, the user devices 202 and 204 may also use thewireless-telecommunications links 206 and 208 to send and/or receivevoice call information and/or data information as well as informationconcerning device capabilities. In one aspect, the user devices 202 and204 may utilize the wireless-telecommunications links 206 and 208 tosend requests for content from a web-based service, such as, forexample, website 226.

It should be mentioned that although the term “base station” is usedthroughout this application, equivalent terms may include radio accessnode, eNodeB, and Node B. For example, if the wireless communicationssystem utilizes LTE, the base station would be termed eNodeB.Additionally, embodiments of the present invention may be used withdifferent technologies or standards, including, but not limited to, CDMA1×A, GPRS, EvDO, TDMA, GSM, WiMax technology, LTE, and LTE Advanced.

The network gateway 212 is the link between the user devices and accessto websites, such as website 226 by way of the Internet 224. In oneembodiment, the network gateway 212 is a packet data network (PDN)gateway (P-GW). The network gateway 212 may be responsible forallocating various user device parameters to the user devices during theauthentication process. Additionally, the user devices may be connectedto multiple network gateways, instead of just one, as shown in FIG. 2.In aspects described herein, the network gateway 212 assists with theauthentication process, as well as when a user device requests to accesscontent from a website.

In aspects described herein, the network gateway 212 is the componentthat assigns or allocates various parameters to user devices duringauthentication of those user devices onto the network. As will bedescribed further herein, the network gateway 212 utilizes logic thatallows it to determine, for example, which DNS server to assign to aparticular user device. In part, this assignment is based on the IPversion capabilities of the user device. In an embodiment, requests froma user device 202 or 204 are sent through the network gateway 212 andwhen an IP address is needed, a router 214 routes the request to one ormore of the DNS servers (items 216, 218, and 220).

The IPv4 DNS server 216 and the IPv6 DNS servers 1 and 2 (items 218 and220), as used herein, are hierarchical distributed naming systems forcomputers or services that are connected to the Internet. In oneinstance, the IPv4 DNS server 216 and the IPv6 DNS servers 1 and 2(items 218 and 220) are domain name system (DNS) servers, but in otherembodiments, it may be any other type of server used to store suchinformation. In aspects herein, the IPv4 DNS server 216 and the IPv6 DNSservers 1 and 2 (items 218 and 220) translate domain names to IPaddresses, and thus are the Internet's primary directory service. Theseservers, such as DNS servers, map hostnames to IPv4 or IPv6 addresses.The IPv4 DNS server 216 and the IPv6 DNS servers 1 and 2 (items 218 and220) may distribute the responsibility of assigning domain names andmapping those names to IP addresses by the use of multiple authoritativename servers or by the use of sub-servers for each domain. Inembodiments, the IPv4 DNS server 216 receives type “A” queriesrequesting an IPv4 address. For example, when an “A” query is received,as defined in RFC 1035, the A record in the server includes a 32-bitIPv4 address, which can then be returned.

As shown in FIG. 2, item 218 is the IPv6 DNS server 1, while item 220 isthe IPv6 DNS server 2. In embodiments, IPv6 DNS server 2 (item 220) maynot be a completely separate server from IPv6 DNS server 1 (item 218),but may be a different instance of IPv6 DNS server 1 (item 218). Assuch, throughout this paper, when we refer to item 220 as a separateserver, it may be a different instance of server 218. In embodiments,the IPv6 DNS servers 1 and 2 (items 218 and 220) receive type “AAAA”queries (quad-A queries) requesting an IPv6 address. For example, whenan “AAAA” query is received, as defined in RFC 3596, the AAAA record(quad-A record) in the server includes a 128-bit IPv6 address, which canthen be returned.

Currently, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer parameters are typicallyspecified at the APN level within the network gateway 212. For userdevices having IPv4-only capabilities or IPv4 and IPv6 capabilities(e.g., a dual-stack user device), there are no issues with breaking ofsessions, as the IPv4 DNS server 216 and the IPv6 DNS server 1 (item218) can be assigned to those user devices without conflict. However,for user devices having IPv6 capabilities only, a different DNS servermay be assigned during authentication. To eliminate the need toconstruct a different APN for IPv6-only user devices, a second IPv6address is used, as the first will have already been allocated to serveuser devices capable of both IPv4 and IPv6. Attempting to reuse a singleIPv6 address would break the sessions of the user devices capable ofboth IPv4 and IPv6. As such, aspects described herein prohibit the needto create new APNs strictly to modify EPS bearer parameters for userdevices capable of IPv4 only, IPv6 only, or IPv4 and IPv6. Creatingmultiple APNs simply for different types of user devices is costly andcreates an unnecessarily complex network.

The translating component 222 is generally responsible for translating auser device's (having IPv6 capabilities only) IP address into an IPv4address when the user device is attempting to communicate with, such asrequesting content from, a website that has only IPv4 capabilities, inaddition to translating (e.g., mapping) a translated IPv4 address backinto an IPv6 address. Generally, a user device having IPv6 capabilitiesonly is not able to receive content from a website, such as website 226,that has IPv4 capabilities only without some translations being done.The translating component 222, in embodiments, is a firewall or someother device that utilizes network address translation 64 (NAT64)technology, such as an NAT64 gateway. The NAT64 technology enables anIPv6-only user device to communicate with an IPv4-only website. Inembodiments, the translating component 222 translates the user device'sIPv6 address into an IPv4 address when the user device is requestingcontent from the website. This is done so the website will be able torespond to the request. When the data is sent back to the user device,the translating component 222 may also translate the IPv4 address backinto an IPv6 address so that the data can reach the user device. Morespecifically, the translating component 222 may take the user device'sIPv6 address and wrap an IPv4 header around it, and do the same when thedata is sent back to the user device. In scenarios such as these, theIPv6-only user device will not even know that the translating occurred,as the process is seamless.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram 300 of an allocation of user deviceparameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which auser device is capable of communicating, in accordance with aspectsherein. Illustrated in FIG. 3 are a user device 302, a mobilitymanagement entity 304, a PDN gateway 306, one or more DNS servers 308that are assigned to devices other than IPv6-only devices, and anIPv6-only DNS server 310. DNS servers 308 may include DNS servers 216and 218 of FIG. 2, while the IPv6-only DNS server 310 may include IPv6DNS server 2 (item 220) of FIG. 2.

Initially, the user device 302 receives an indication that it is toauthenticate with the network, represented by item 312. The user device302 communicates 314 a request for authentication 316 to the mobilitymanagement entity 304, which forwards the request to the Home SubscriberServer (HSS) to authorize the user of the user device 302. The PDNgateway 306 determines that the user device 302 has requested to beauthenticated, and determines allocation of one or more parameters,represented by item 322. One such parameter may be a DNS server that theuser device 302 is to use for the duration of this session. Onceallocated, the PDN gateway 306 communicates 324 the parameterassignments 326 back to the mobility management entity 304, whichforwards 328 the parameter assignments 330 to the user device 302. Atsome point, the user device 302 communicates 332 a request for content334 through the PDN gateway 306 to its assigned DNS server which, here,is IPv6-only DNS Server 310. While the IPv6-only DNS server 310 may notbe a physically separate server than the other DNS server utilized fordual-stack user devices, the request is logically sent directly to theIPv6-only DNS server 310. It should be noted that the IPv6-only DNSserver 310 shown in FIG. 3 can be a physically separate server fromother DNS servers, or may simply be another instance of another DNSserver.

Turning now to FIG. 4, exemplary logic 400 for allocating user deviceparameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which auser device is capable of communicating is illustrated, in accordancewith aspects herein. In embodiments, the logic in FIG. 4 is executed bya network gateway, such as network gateway 212 of FIG. 2. This could bea PDN gateway. As shown, for a particular APN value, if the PDN type ofthe user device is IPv4 only, first values of the DNS server, AggregateMaximum Bit Rate (AMBR), Quality of Service (QoS), and other parametersare allocated to that user device and that affect latency, userexperience, and the like. The QoS may include multiple sub-parameters,including error rates, bandwidth, throughput, transmission delay,availability, jitter, etc. For the same APN value, if the PDN type ofthe user device is dual-stack, or capable of both IPv4 and IPv6technologies, a second value of the DNS server, AMBR, QoS, and otherparameters are allocated to that user device. For the same APN value, ifthe PDN type of the user device is IPv6 only, a third value of the DNSserver, AMBR, QoS, and other parameters are allocated to that userdevice.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of an exemplary method 500 of allocatinguser device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versionswith which a user device is capable of communicating, in accordance withan aspect herein. Initially at block 510, an indication is received thatthe user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wirelesscommunications network. At block 512, it is determined that the userdevice is capable of communicating in the wireless communicationsnetwork using IPv6 only. At block 514, one or more configurable userdevice parameters are assigned to the user device based on the userdevice being capable of communicating using IPv6 only, as opposed tobeing capable of communicating in the network using IPv4 only or bothIPv4 and IPv6 (e.g., dual-stack device). In one aspect, a networkgateway, such as a PDN gateway, assigns the configurable user deviceparameters to the user devices in the wireless communications network.

In the aspect described above, the IPv6-only user device may have thesame access point name (APN) as the IPv4-only user device or dual-stackdevice, thus eliminating a need for a new APN to be configured on theuser device. Having to configure a new APN on a user device wouldrequire the user device to be reprogrammed, and doing this reprogrammingfor many IPv6-only devices would be enormously costly and timeconsuming. In one aspect, one of the assigned configurable user deviceparameters is a DNS server, such as a DNS server. As mentioned herein, adifferent DNS server may be assigned to IPv6-only user devices, or adifferent instance of an existing DNS server may be assigned toIPv6-only user devices. In either case, the physically separate DNSserver or the different instance of an existing DNS server, in aspectsherein, is capable of providing DNS lookup and IPv4 synthesizing forIPv6-only user devices so that IPv4 synthesizing of IPv6 addresses for adual-stack device is not performed, which could potentially impair IPv4traffic. Synthesizing an IPv6 address in this way may cause a break inthe signal for one or both of the IPv4 device or the dual-stack device.

The aspect described above in regards to the method 500 of FIG. 5 mayfurther include receiving a request from the user device to accesscontent from a website. The assigned DNS server may be accessed toretrieve an IPv6 address for the user device. As mentioned, the DNSserver, such as a DNS server, is used to map or translate domain namesinto IP addresses. The content from the website is then communicated tothe user device. As mentioned, if an IPv6-only user device is requestingcontent from an IPv6-only website, the IPv6 address of the user devicemay be translated by a translating component (e.g., firewall, NAT64)prior to the request being communicated to the website. When the contentis returned from the website, the translated IPv4 address may betranslated back into the original IPv6 address so that the content canseamlessly be delivered to the user device.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow chart is illustrated of an exemplarymethod 600 of allocating user device parameters based on one or moreInternet Protocol versions with which a user device is capable ofcommunicating, in accordance with an aspect herein. At block 610 of FIG.6, an indication is received that the user device is requesting to beauthenticated in a wireless communications network. At block 612, it isdetermined that the user device is capable of communicating in thenetwork using IPv6 only. Based, at least in part, on this determination,a DNS server (e.g., different instance of a DNS server assigned todual-stack devices) is assigned to the user device, shown at block 614.A network gateway, such as a PDN gateway, may be the network component,in aspects, that assigns DNS servers and other configurable user deviceparameters during authentication. The assigned DNS server may be aphysically different server or a different instance of other DNS serversassigned to other user devices that are capable of communicating usingIPv4-only or dual-stack devices. This eliminates a need for a new APN tobe configured on the user device. As such, user devices that are capableof communicating using IPv6-only and dual-stack devices may use the sameAPN.

At block 616, a request is received from the user device to accesscontent from a website. In one instance, the website may be one that iscapable of communicating via IPv4 only. However, in other instances, thewebsite may be capable of communicating via IPv6 only or both IPv4 andIPv6. At block 618, the assigned DNS server is accessed to retrieve anIPv6 address for the user device. Because the assigned DNS server iseither a different DNS server than what is assigned to other userdevices that are not IPv6 only, or is a different instance of anexisting DNS server, overlap of IPv6 addresses will not be an issue. Thecontent from the website is communicated to the user device at block620.

As mentioned above in regard to FIG. 5, the IPv6 address assigned to theuser device may be translated by a translating component before therequest is sent to the website. When the content is received from thewebsite into the wireless communications network, the translated IPv4address may be translated back into the original IPv6 address assignedto the user device, allowing the user device to receive content from thewebsite. This aspect may be utilized when the website is an IPv4-onlywebsite.

Many different arrangements of the various components depicted, as wellas components not shown, are possible without departing from the scopeof the claims below. Embodiments of our technology have been describedwith the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternativeembodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after andbecause of reading it. Alternative means of implementing theaforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of theclaims below. Certain features and subcombinations are of utility andmay be employed without reference to other features and subcombinationsand are contemplated within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method carried out by at least one serverhaving one or more processors for allocating user device parametersbased on one or more Internet Protocol (IP) versions with which a firstuser device is capable of communicating, the method comprising:receiving an indication that the first user device is requesting to beauthenticated in a wireless communications network; determining that thefirst user device is capable of communicating in the wirelesscommunications network using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) only;assigning a first set of configurable user device parameters to thefirst user device based on the first user device being capable ofcommunicating using IPv6 only and not Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)only or IPv6 and IPv4; assigning a second set of configurable userdevice parameters is assigned to a different second user device that iscapable of communicating using IPv4 only and not IPv6, wherein thesecond set of configurable user device parameters is different from thefirst set of configurable user device parameters; assigning an accesspoint name (APN), wherein the APN assigned to the first user device isthe same APN assigned to the second user device; receiving a requestfrom the first user device to access content from a website; accessingan assigned Domain Name System (DNS) server to retrieve an IPv6 addressfor the first user device; translating the IPv6 address of the firstuser device to an IPv4 address prior to communicating the request toaccess content to the website; translating the translated IPv4 addressof the first user device into the IPv6 address prior to communicatingthe content from the website to the first user device; and communicatingthe content from the website to the first user device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first set of user device parameters includes theDNS server, and wherein the translating is performed by a translatingcomponent.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assigned DNS server isa DNS server.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the DNS server assignedto the first user device is a different DNS server than that assigned tosecond user device.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the DNS serverassigned to the first user device is a different instance of a DNSserver assigned to the second user device.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the website is capable of IPv4 communications only.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein a network gateway assigns the first set ofconfigurable user device parameters and the second set of configurableuser device parameters to the first user device and the second userdevice, respectively.
 8. One or more computer-readable storage mediahaving computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, whenexecuted, perform a method for allocating user device parameters basedon one or more Internet Protocol (IP) versions with which a first userdevice is capable of communicating, the method comprising: receiving anindication that the first user device is requesting to be authenticatedin a wireless communications network; determining that the first userdevice is capable of communicating in the wireless communicationsnetwork using IP version 6 (IPv6) only, and assigning a first set ofconfigurable user device parameters to the first user device capable ofcommunicating in wireless communications network using IPv6 only;assigning a Domain Name System (DNS) server to the first user devicethat is a different server or is a different instance of other DNSservers assigned to a second user devices that is capable ofcommunicating using IP version 4 (IPv4) only or that are capable ofcommunicating using both IPv6 and IPv4; assigning an access point name(APN) to the first user device; assigning the APN to the second userdevice, wherein the APN assigned to the first device is the same APN asis assigned to the second device; receiving a request from the firstuser device to access content from a website; accessing the assigned DNSserver to retrieve a first set of configurable user device parametersincluding an IPv6 address for the first user device; at a translatingcomponent, translating the IPv6 address assigned to the first userdevice by the assigned DNS server to an IPv4 address prior tocommunicating the request to access content to the website; andcommunicating the content from the website to the first user device. 9.The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein theIPv6 address is provided to the first user device based on the websitefrom which the first user device is requesting the content.
 10. The oneor more computer-readable storage media, wherein the website is capableof communicating using IPv4 only.
 11. The one or more computer-readablestorage media of claim 8, wherein a packet data network (PDN) gateway(P-GW) assigns an Internet Protocol (IP) address server to the userdevice during authentication.
 12. A system for allocating user deviceparameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which afirst user device is capable of communicating, the system comprising: aprocessor; and one or more computer-readable storage media storingcomputer-useable instructions that, when used by the processor, causethe processor to: receive an indication that the first user device isrequesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network,determine that the first user device is capable of communicating in thewireless communications network using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)only, and assign a first set of configurable user device parameters tothe first user device capable of communicating in wirelesscommunications network using IPv6 only, assign a Domain Name Server(DNS) server to the first user device that is different than other DNSservers assigned to a second user devices that is capable ofcommunicating using IP version 4 (IPv4) only or that are capable ofcommunicating using both IPv6 and IPv4, and assign a second set ofconfigurable user device parameters to the second user device capable ofcommunicating in wireless communications network using IPv4 only or thatare capable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4; assigning anaccess point name (APN) to the first user device; assigning the APN tothe second user device, wherein the APN assigned to the first userdevice is the same as is assigned to the second device; receiving arequest from the first user device to access content from a website;access an assigned DNS server to retrieve a first set of configurableuser device parameters including an IPv6 address for the first userdevice; translate the IPv6 address assigned to the first user device bythe assigned DNS server to an IPv4 address prior to communicating therequest to access content to the website; translate the translated IPv4address of the first user device into the IPv6 address prior tocommunicating the content from the website to the first user device. 13.The system of claim 12, further comprising a translating component that,translates the IPv6 address assigned to the first user device by theassigned DNS server to the IPv4 address prior to communicating therequest from the first user device to access content to the website, andtranslates the translated IPv4 address of the first user device into theIPv6 address prior to communicating the content from the website to thefirst user device.